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In The News

A look at what others said or wrote

Featured on Microsoft Online

If you enter “financial presentations” in Google, the first non-paid entry that pops up is an article titled 10 Tips for Effective Financial Presentations. Written by Sally Herigstad, the article features my explanation of how PowerPoint can be an effective tool when making financial presentations. Many speakers, having heard the unfortunate phrase “death by PowerPoint,” jump to the conclusion that PowerPoint is something to avoid. But, as this article illustrates PowerPoint can be effectively used in any type of presentation, as long as it is used with judicious restraint.

In The News

A look at what others said or wrote

Featured in “Texas Meetings”

What does a meeting planner need to know when looking for the right speaker? That’s exactly what I explain in an interview published in Texas Meetings + Events magazine. Written by April Miller, the article features Texas’ two World Champions of Public Speaking: Jim Key (2003) and me. We offer advice on such topics as why “celebrity speakers” may not be your best choice, how to get more for your money when hiring a speaker, and what to look for when reviewing a speaker’s promotional materials. To read the article titled Best of Show, click here.

In The News

A look at what others said or wrote

Featured on “…Smart People”

Steve Pavlina’s enormous multi-faceted blog, Personal Development for Smart People, featured me in September. Steve attended a program I presented in Las Vegas and afterward he asked for an interview. After looking at the wealth of information his site provides for free, I gladly consented. My responses to his 12 great questions can be seen here. I encourage you to take a look around his site. But remember, there are so many articles there you could read for a week and barely make a dent.

The Spoken Word

Today's tip for speakers

The “Business Card Test”

Write on the back of your business card exactly what you want the audience to think, feel, or do as a result of your presentation. Why on the back of a business card? It’s only big enough to hold one handwritten sentence--and if you can’t define your purpose in one sentence, you’re not ready to speak. This exercise requires you to focus on conciseness, that powerful combination of clarity plus brevity. Remember, your message will never be clearer to your listener than it is to you.

The Spoken Word

Today's tip for speakers

What an audience expects

The audience does not expect a speaker to be perfect. In fact, not only is achieving perfection an impossible task, it may even be an undesirable goal. That’s because if you are fixated on delivering a flawless presentation, you’re focused on yourself instead of the audience. Surprisingly, audiences are remarkably forgiving if you make an occasional stumble or fumble. Notice that I said “an occasional fumble or stumble.” Too many mistakes shows you didn’t care enough to prepare, but an occasional mistake simply shows you are human. Therefore, your goal is excellence (an attainable goal), not perfection (an impossible one). That’s as much as an audience will ever require.